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Saturday, February 16, 2013

SCWC: Using "What-Ifs" to Flush Out Story

Really important to get all the
questions in your story answered/addressed

Read your story aloud, record it,
and play it back. You will catch a ton of mistakes

Write quickly so you're always
producing. If you have inspiration, you can write quickly.
Publishers might want a deal that includes multiple books, even if
you don't even have ideas yet for the sequels

Idea vs inspiration

Don't skip around in genres when
you're first starting out. Have a love for the genre you're writing
in. What are you going to bring to the genre that someone else
hasn't? Use ideas that create conflict in the story. Be able to
differentiate your ideas from others writing in the same genre.

Shape your idea into a story (slow
evolution).

Layers and ideas – using
“what-ifs.” You can save time on world-building by using
well-known locations as the setting (Miami, LA, etc). Layer
conflicts. Different decisions can be made by characters depending
on conflict. Start with “what would happen if...”

“What then?” Pose questions,
then answer a couple or provide more conflict. Everything must have
closure at the end unless it's a series!

Ask more “what ifs” towards
the middle of the book. Create a fresh way of looking at your
story. (ex: werewolves...what if...there are 2 different types of
werewolves?)

Conflict must be in the first
chapter. Book should also end with conflict.

Readers love questions – pose
questions in the book.

History can be fodder/inspiration.
Strange facts in the world.

“Put your character in a tree,
then throw rocks at him.” Think of the worst thing that can
possibly happen, then make it happen.

The “what-if” actually has to
do something for the story, don't just toss a bunch of questions out
there. Every what-if must be answered.